Well, I just saw the trailer for X-Men: First Class. I’ll probably see it (or at least buy the DVD), but I’m not sure what to think about the trailer. It has potential, but it’s hard to tell if it will actually be any good. At the moment, I’m both wary and hopeful.
Reasons I’m Wary:
- It’s a prequel- That means that we know that many of the characters will survive. (And the ones that aren’t in the other movies are probably going to be used as cannon fodder.) It kills a lot of the suspense.
- Emma Frost- Emma Frost is one of the few comic book characters I genuinely hate. From what I’ve read from fans, the issues I’ve read with her contradict past characterization, so I’m probably being horribly unfair to the character. However, that doesn’t change the fact that in the trailer, she’s in her underwear – or her top looks just like a bra – which actually manages to be less dignified than her normal costume. (I didn’t think it was possible either.)
- Azazel- Continuity be damned: this should have been Nightcrawler. I don’t care if we get to see it revealed that Azazel and Mystique are Nightcrawler’s parents: it was a stupid retcon in the comics, and it isn’t a surprise for anyone. Even if you know nothing about the comics, Azazel’s appearance and powers give it away. (Please note that I will probably take this all back if we get to see baby Nightcrawler, because that would be freaking adorable.)
Reasons I’m Hopeful:
- Beast- Although not one of my favorite characters, I do have a soft spot for Beast. Mainly because his mutation is actually something that would get him labelled a freak, unlike most mutants, who look like supermodels.
- New cast- It will be nice to get away from the characters we saw in the first three movies, since there are many characters who haven’t made an appearance yet. Some of them I’m not very familiar with, such as Darwin and Angel Salvadore. (All I know about Angel is that she got pregnant while at Xavier’s school and no one seemed to care that she was 14 at the time.)
- No Wolverine- Nothing against the guy, but he tends to steal the spotlight. It will be nice to see the other characters get more screen time, and hopefully, more development.
- Moira MacTaggert- Given the X-Men’s message of peace and tolerance between mutants and ordinary humans, you would think they would spend a lot of time around ordinary humans. But they almost never do. At least not for any extended period of time. Moira is one of the few exceptions, and I’m glad to see that she’ll be in the movie.
While I’m currently ambivalent about X-Men, I am seriously excited that Thor comes out on Friday.
Mythology + Comics = Awesome. (In my nerdy mind, anyway.)
What issues was it that contradicted past characterization?
I’ve always heard Emma described as being a great teacher who cares about her students, but I’ve never really read anything that demonstrates this. I have seen her characterized as narcissistic and incredibly rude and insulting towards others . . . which doesn’t strike me as very good traits for a teacher.
Then again, I don’t follow X-Men normally, so it’s likely that I’ve missed a lot of her characterization. It’s why I admitted I’m probably being unfair to her in my post. I’ve read some of her earlier appearances as part of the Hellfire Club, but very little of her time with the X-Men.